what can you do if your company defaults on redundancy payments

Hi all HC purchasers,

Just thought we would provide a 'warts n all' update to you with the results of our snagging visit to the site last week.

We went with our solicitor (ABASOL 2000) and an Aifos rep accompanied also by the site foreman. Generally speaking the snags were minor ones and we are to be given an opportunity to check they are rectified before we sign. The Aifos rep was very helpful and took down all our snags with a promise to send copies in English.. The corridor and access areas definitely still need work and would not be fit for habitation in current state. There were utilities guys on site which was promising and some workmen were tidying up the general areas.

Interestingly, our solictors have told us that due to Aifos cash-flow problems thay are unable to complete the general work required for the licence to be granted by the council, certainly not quickly, so the Bank (not Aifos!)  has taken an unprecended step to sign guarantees to the council that this work will be completed. This should speed up the licence being granted but does not necessarily help our position as there are other amenities promised but never delivered that are not going to be guranteed by the Bank.

We have purchased a ground floor and a penthouse in Pensamiento block, both overlooking the 7th green. Have to say the views from the apartments are spectacular. We discovered an added bonus with the ground floor as it has a large basement area included which is actually bigger than any of the other rooms! My inderstanding is that not all the blocks have this so maybe worth checking your own. Parking and a small storage area is included in our purchase price but have to pay extra if we want one of the larger store rooms. Again, maybe worth checking your own terms as not sure if this is standard arrangement.

The overall quality of the apartments is average rather than luxury and I would say they are generally smaller than we imagined. The 3rd bedroom can definitely only fit in a a single bed. However, this is compensated somewhat by the magnificant views.

My husband played the golf course which he said was a fabulous course, although somewhat challenging! However, the guy at Don Julia said he was unaware of the alleged 15% discount for HC residents as promised in Aifos literature.......

Our main worry is the swimming pools which are allegedly going to be where the roundabout is at the top of the site. This is in line with the aparthotel build so when (OR IF!) this gets built who knows and the aparthotel guys will have easier access than the rest of the site to the pool. Either way, it will be pretty crowded!

Our solicitor whilst accepting our view that we purchased a full package with pools/sprting facilities/gardens etc and not just the structure, Aifos are not in breach of contract if they do not provide them. How we can rent out apartments without pools or even want to visit ourselves is beyond me so I guess the only option would be to try and long term rent rather than use for holiday rental. We could claim for compensation but with Aifos financial problems and reputation can't see this going anywhere. Guess it would be down to us to fund one or more pools ourselves as residents, which is not what we signed up for.

This last issue worries us so much that we are seriously considering moving to another site, even though these are more expensive.

Things are never easy are they!!!

Cheers,

Norm & Christine

 

Hi

Well at least there is some news but  so few people seem to be concerned.................what exactly are Aifos saying about it all.............how can they get away with it?

Are the sales agents not also guilty and is there no protection for all the false information that was given.

Are the apartments worth anything ?

Has anyone been successful in getting their money back?

 

Guys

 

i was talking to a woman i know whos brother has bought 1 of the flats she is in the estate agency buisiness and her brother was offered his money back but the cheque couldnt be drawn untll jan 2009 he obviouvly turned it down as aifos might be bust by then and the cheque worthless. she told me to keep tight and hopefuly it will get finished before summer.

ta

nick

 

Hello all,

First at all, DON'T PANIC !!!!!!, i know that the situation is not the one we all think at the moment we buy HC, but in this moment you don't have to go crazy.

Let see the facts:

We all know that one of Aifos`s biggest problem is the after sell communication with the client. Even us,  as an agency,  found several problems to solve minor issues and doubts from our client, so at the end of the day we know we can not count with Aifos sells department. But the true is that HC is real, its getting better day by day, there actually starting with the landscape on Lila and Azalea area. If its true that the bank is giving the guaranties to the town hall in order they give the habitation order, that's are good news.And believe me  when i tell you that the part that is more interest in sign the title deeds is Aifos. They are in a difficult situation, but you have to know there is not only Aifos, almost all the major builders are having problems to find money to continue with the projects that already have. You only have to think in Evemarina, The owner of Doña Julia Complex is having several problems and they are looking for partners to survive.     

http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/empresas/Evemarina/alia/fondo/arabe/superar/crisis/cdssec/20080131cdscdiemp_10/Tes/
( I'm sorry i don't have translation for this but you can copy and past in the google translator tool).

I know that maybe i have a different point of view because I'm only 15 minutes away and i have contact with these and other builders. But i think that nobody is going to lose money in this project (and probably nobody is going to win a lot neither).And for those that only buy it for have a nice place to live, i think is great.

As always I'm sorry for my English, but i think all of you understand the idea.

All the best

Juan   

I have been quite happy over the last week as i was given a price for a move to golf hills and was told everything was agreed with aifos, i was going to fly over late this week to have a look at the development but said i would go next week instead, then low and behold received an email off my solicitor today saying aifos would not be allowing anybody to move to this site due to problems witht the original developer,so i could have been in the air going to view my new apt  only to get there and find out they switched the goal posts again, another waste of time and money!!, can these developers not catch some disease and we stand there and spit on them while they suffer so we get some satisfaction from this mess, i now only have 2 options, stay on hacienda casares (spanish version of a council estate) or move to altos de la alqueria, i prefer the latter but will the goals be moved again, more than likely with these scumbags, so anyway, anybody who thought they were moving to golf hills you are not , so if i stay on hacienda casares i could get a hose pipe this summer and hose me and the family down in the garden resembling a seen of shameless, quite fitting really as the complex looks like that estate, ok the views over the golf course are fantastic, great if your front line like me,  you can try to imagine while looking over the course that those buildings are not really behind you, not so great if your behind and have to look at them constantly, maybe bms homes will let us use there apt in golf valley free of charge this summer where there is a pool, doubt it, it's probably rented out all summer, unlike ours will be, please take a look at there website, safe hassle free investment or something along those lines it says, has anybody had that warm comfortable feeling during this investment, personally i feel like like i've been on acid and it's gone wrong, a bad trip it's called, please feel free to leave your own feelings on here, maybe we can write a book or make a film and call it Investment From Hell, The Experience, in the end all aifos owners are nailed to crosses on the 7th green just as the sun goes down, while now severley physcologically scarred residents crawl round the floor making strange whimpering noises resembling abused dogs, as this feels like how we've been treated!!!!

I think the Altos swap should be straight forward enough as they are all complete and licenses are in place (according to a letter my pal has had from his solicitor?).

Only real question mark is that they are twice the price of the HC apartments for pretty much the same square metres of living area, but then they are very much closer to Marbella, which would explain it?

I was in the area last week, but didn't get chance to visit Altos, otherwise I may have been able to offer some better opinions.

Good luck all!

Just got back from Spain , went up to snag my apartment in geranio and waited for over an hour for entry.  Low and behold, not a jot done since my last visit at the end of September. The whole block looks exactly the same and my apartment is nothing like finished. I asked the rep about the marble finish , that's where it could be seen under the plaster spoil, and the up stands on the edges. He informed me that this is covered in plaster to protect the finish of the marble and it would be cleaned and all the up stands ground away to give a lovely finish. Wow i said, shook my head, bit my lip and went on to look at the state of the rendering. Well enough said about that, i could go on and on. This is a very poor development, and god only knows what remedial faults will develop in the future

The surrounding gardens in the first phase had been leveled and a handful of shrubs been planted ( so much for the tropical gardens.)  The area where the sports facilities should have been is still being used as a builders yard and tip. The rep informed me that everything will be finished in three maybe four weeks when the first occupation licence will be obtained.

There is no chance of any recreational facilities being built by our developer and any other developer in the near future, so it looks like it's everyone for themselves. What a mess. OVER AND OUT !.

guys

i think we should ask one of the guys in the area to get a quote for the sports facilties to be built and then get our solictors to demand a lower price to offest the cost of us getting it built

 

ta

nick

ps i will also probably drive up friday as i am stopping in manilva friday

i have heard residents will be getting 500 euro each off aifos to finish the pools themselves if aifos do not deliver, has anybody else heard this, also the apart hotel will be finished by another developer, see what you can find out

500 euros they are taking us for mugs

There is only one phase on the site under final construction at the moment, everything else has been put in hold awaiting further finance from the appropriate banks. I was led to believe that the bank financing licence 2 is in complete control and working with the local town hall at Casares to deliver the occupation licence. It looks like the developer is only supplying the labour.

 

i am so fed up with these clowns for the money i could have bought a nice villa on the coast in between cadiz and tarifa i am seriously thinking of trying to get my money back and buying something pre-built. but 75k in euros is quite painful to swallow if i dont get it back      

Was informed the aparthotel and facilities would be built by evemarina the company who built the golf course and the Hyat park hotel. I have been led to believe that they are in financial difficulties and may have just been bought out, check the web. The new blocks Malisa and Malva,   left at the top roundabout have been abandoned nothing going on at all. I have not herd anything about 500 euros.

Hi all

Ted, the reason you only see one person working on Friday afternoon is that in Spain, construction workers only works untill 2:00 p.m. on fridays (that is regulate by the Union).

About the pools and sport areas, unfortunately is not only about to find the right place and have the will to build it. Its impossible to change now the project because there are asking for the first occupancy license, and change the project now to include that areas for example near the Azalea buiding means that they have to redact again the project, send it to the town hall, then, and only if the town hall approve it, they have to build it and then ask again the license, all that means more time, more money and stop the delivery of arround 260 apartments involved in that fase. 

About the license for the first occupancy the town hall have two request from aifos, the first one aprox. 6 month ago for 161 apartments ( Gardenia, Lirio, Dalia, Jazmin,Camelia,Calendula) and one made a month ago for 82 (Narciso, MAgnolia,Orquidea) apartments more. All of these are for the buildings that are located in the left side of the main road of Hacienda Casares. I guess that once the first licence is granted the others are going to come quickly. 

I have to go, I post other news as soon as I can

 

Regards

Juan  

This message was last edited by juanemiliorossi on 2/18/2008.

http://hacienda-casares.com/

Hi folks
Can I suggest you view the February 6th Newsletter posted by Mario Bravo on the above link. If what he says is true viz-a-viz the sporting facilities it is a bit of an eye opener. It would seem we -non Aparthotel owners, that is - were never getting any sports facilities from Aifos in the first place. Can anyone shed any further light on this matter?

What A BIG JOKE........how do they away with it...........what is the real story about everything and why does it change every week.

At the end of the day the complex was sold with pools etc and this is what the selling agents said........is a marina also part of the development and we can pay to use it !!

Will there be a toll road to get up the hill and how much is this.

Someone really needs to sort this whole mess out and maybe it would be best if the whole thing was to...............

Has anyone been able to talk to AIFOS and what do they say ?

i can believe it with these crooks but if we would have to pay a comunity fee anyway for the upkeep plus who will drive 3km up that road to use a sports club i dont know. i think i will ask for a small redudction in my price to offset the fees i will have to pay.
hopefuly i will be in for july when i have 5 weeks off work. i am picking my parents up from malaga airport on the 11th of march so i will pop and have a look around and take some better photos than i took last time. i have taken some photos but my broadband is playing up and taking ages to upload a file  . the photos i took where of the area around azelea where i bought my apartment

anybody needing a photo of a specifia area email me at tedtasker@hotmail.com and i will try my best

ta
nick

HHI

I have just returned from being on a snagging visit- when I saw the state of my apartment there was no way I was going to snag- it was riddled with damp both inside and out- rusty railings etc-even the Aifos rep agreed that he wouldnt snag either! Cheap fittings and small rooms -no facilities a few plants dotted around -appalling- I have asked my lawyer to try and get my money back and I certainly wont be paying another penny or euro!

I'll prbably have to go to court and if anyone knows of any good lawyers with a proven track record please let me know!!!!!!!!!

I have some photos by not sure how i put them on- did manage to get into a few other apartments which were not complete.

Sorry this is so bleak but I havent slept since getting back 2 weeks ago-it was so depressing!

Gol

Has anyone used a local agency for snagging their apartment and if so how good were they and did they give value for money?. Quotes I have seen so far are ridiculously expensive.